Flexible beat-up means for loom



April l2, 1955 J. E. HOLLIS, JR

FLEXIBLE BEAT-UP MEANS FOR LooM Filed March l, 1954 9 e .ll 4 4 L J 9 s m O M H um w. G 63 E E. F 4 w E n, 5 M 4 s M B ATTORNEY United States Patent O FLEXIBLE BEAT-UP MEANS FOR LOOM James E. Hollis, Jr., Worcester, Mass., assgnor to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 1, 1954, Serial No. 413,259

Claims. (Cl. 139-188) This invention relates to weft beat-np means for looms and 1t 1s the general object of the invention to provide such a means which includes flexible weft moving elements to advance the weft to the fell of the cloth.

The usual fly shuttle loom employs a relatively heavy lay comprising a beam and a reed mounted thereon reciprocated backwardly and forwardly and moving forwardly after each flight of the shuttle to move the weft l to the fell of the cloth. The lay may weigh several hundred pounds and requires considerable power for its reciprocation. Furthermore, should the shuttle stop While in the Warp shed it is necessary to effect abrupt loom stoppage, as by protector mechanism, in order to prevent a warp smash.

It is an important object of the present invention to eliminate the usual reciprocating lay and use in its place a form of beat-up comprising exible elements, such as bristles, movable in a forward direction to advance the weft in the warp shed to the fell of the cloth. These bristles may conveniently be mounted on a cylindrical member which is rotated about an axis more or less parallel to the fell of the cloth. The shuttle or other weft laying means may be caused to move in a fixed path, such as along a stationary race if a shuttle be used, so that there is no danger of the shuttle being pushed forwardly against the cloth should it remain in the waip shed.

The weft will ordinarily be attached to the selvage at the side of the warp shed which is entered by the weft laying means so that at least the part of the weft adjacent to that selvage is close to the fell of the cloth. It is a further object of the invention to provide flexible beatup means to enter the warp shed, or at least extend across the shed, at points forward of the shuttle path, and during the beating up operation act first on that part of the weft attached to the selvage at the fell and thereafter effect progressive beat-up across to the opposite side of the loom. In this way the part of the weft behind the beat-up means can, due to the progressive beat-up, be brought into the range of action of the beat-up.

When the shuttle traverses a xed path the weft laid by it will extend from the far selvage in a diagonal rearwardly directed line. In order to effect the aforesaid progressive beat-up the bristles are arranged on the rotatable member in a set which extends helically around part of the member in such manner that the first bristles to engage the weft will be those which are located at the Side of the fabric where the weft is attached to the fell of the cloth.

When a shuttle is employed as the weft laying means it will ordinarily move rst in one direction through a warp shed on one pick of the loom and will then move in the opposite direction through a different shed on the next pick of the loom. In order that the bristles may be effective to beat up the weft correctly for each of the flights of the shuttle it is a further object of the invention to provide the cylindrical member with two sets of bristles disposed helically around the member but in opposite directions, one set beating up the weft after the shuttle has moved in one direction and the other beating up after the shuttle has moved in the opposite direction.

During flight of the shuttle, or movement in the warp shed of any other weft laying means, it is desirable that the weft be laid without interference on the part of the bristles and to accomplish this result it is a further object of the invention to provide the cylindrical member with plain or non-bristle areas alternating with the 2,705,976 Patented Apr. 12, 1955 lCC bristled areas and rotate the cylindrical member so that a pla1n area thereof will be facing the warp shed during flight of the shuttle to enable the weft to be delivered from the shuttle freely, after which the drive means will by continued turning of the cylindrical member move the beat-up bristles into the warp shed to advance the weft in the manner already suggested.

The cylindrical member and the set or sets of bristles on it should have a length equal at least to the width of the fabric but may have a greater length, in which event some of the bristles will be located beyond the selvages where they could become entangled with a weft thread extending from a selvage to a boxed shuttle. It is a further object of the invention to provide means at the sides of the loom which will prevent entanglement of a weft thread extending to a boxed shuttle with any bristles which may be located beyond the selvage.

If the bristles alone were permitted to determine the position of the fell of the cloth the fell might not be straight in all instances and to insure a straight fell it is another object of the invention to provide means extending across the loom aligned. with and close to the fell to engage the bristles after they have performed their beating up operations and prevent then from having further effect on the fell by bending them in a rearward direction from their normal positions. Thus, if the cylindrical member with the bristles on it rotates about an axis below the cloth a bristle deflector, which may be termed a fell board, will have a rear straight edge aligned more or less vertically with the fell. It is not necessary however that the fell board be thus located, since it could be above the cloth, but when below the cloth it not only results in the formation of a straight fell but also prevents the bristles from having contact with the woven fabric, thus avoiding any wear of the fabric which might otherwise result from its contact with the ends of the moving bristles.

As shown in the accompanying drawings and described hereinafter the beat-up member is in the form of a cylinder rotating about a fixed axis which is preferably slightly rearward of the fell of the cloth so that the bristles as they approach the fell will be moving in a direction having a downward component and can therefore be bent rearwardly with very little deformation. lt is to be understood however that the invention is not necessarily limited to the specific detailsl with respect to structure or location shown herein and is not limited to the form of the invention given by way of example and shown in the drawing, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a loom having the invention applied thereto,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, on reduced scale, looking in the direction of arrow 2, Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view looking in the direction of arrow 3, Fig. l,

F Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 4-4,

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 4 showing the means to prevent entanglement of end bristles on the brush with a weft thread leading away from a selvage,

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic development of the cylindrical member showing the disposition of two sets of bristles,

Figs. 7-10 are diagrammatic views showing the beatup means in different positions, and

Fig. ll is a fragmentary plan view of the aspect of the invention illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring to Figs. l and 2, the loom frame 1 supports a warp beam 2 and warp guide roll 3 and also supports a take-up roll 4 and cloth roll 5. Harness frames 6 and 7 are provided to form a warp shed 8 in the warp thread 9 which extend forwardly, to the left in Fig. l, and are attached to the cloth 10 at its fell 11 which extends across the cloth from one selvage 12 thereof to the other selvage 13. Any convenient means (not shown) may be used to control the beam 2, the harness frames, and the rolls 4 and 5. The loom has a shaft 14 which in the present instance will rotate once for each pick or beat of the loom and the harnesses will change the shed for each rotation of the shaft.

In the present instance the means for introducing weft into the Warp shed 8 is a shuttle S, but other means for that purpose can be used. The shuttle is guided along a fixed path by a race plate and a comb 21 both of which are fixed to a support 22 extending across the loom and held in stationary position by brackets 23 fixed on the loom frame and secured to the support by carriers 24. Each end of the support 22 is provided with a shuttle box, the right and left hand boxes being shown in Fig. 2 at 25 and 26, respectively. For propulsion of the shuttle from one box to the other picker sticks 27 may be provided. Other picking means can, however, be used if desired.

The form of the invention shown in the drawing includes a cylindrical member 39 extending across the loom and having gudgeons 31 and 32 on the right and left hand ends thereof, respectively, Fig. 2, rotatable in bearings 33 secured to the frame 1 at 34. Vertical adjustment for the bearings 33 is provided by adjustable screws 35 engaging the frame. Gudgeon 32 has secured thereto a sprocket 36 around which is trained a driving chain 37 trained around another sprocket 38 rotatable about a frame supported stud 39 with agear 40 meshing with a pinion 4i of half its size. The pinion is xed to shaft 14 and since the sprockets 36 and 38 are equal the cylindrical member 30 will make one rotation for each two picks or beats of the loom. The shuttle S will make a flight from one of the shuttle boxes on one beat of the loom and a return flight on the next beat for each rotation of member 30.

The weft beat-up means designated generally at B is mounted on the member 30 and comprises thin exible elements which are preferably bristles, such as nylon, held to member 30 in any approved manner and extending preferably radially from its axis. The bristles are arranged in two sets 46 and 47 which are helically arranged on member 39 in opposite directions, as suggested in Fig. 6. The bristles are of such length that they can extend across the forward part of the warp shed 8 when they are more or less over the axis of member 30.

Between the bristle sets 46 and 47 the member 30 has blank non-bristled areas 4S and 49, see Fig. 6, which shows a development of the bristled and non-bristled areas of member 30. The beat-up means, formed by the member 30 and bristles 45 and their driving means such as the chain 37 and associated parts, acts to turn the bristles in the direction of arrow a, Fig. 1, so that the bristles enter the bottom warp sheet 50 rearward of the fell 11 and then move toward the fell and rise in the shed 8 until their upper free ends pass through the upper warp sheet 51. As member 30 continues to turn any weft in front of the bristles will be moved to the fell 11 of the cloth.

In order that the fell may be straight and well dened there is provided a bristle deector or fell board extending across the loom and secured at 56 to the breast beam 57 of the loom frame. The deector or board 55 has a straight rear edge 60 which is close to and preferably under the fell when the parts are arranged as shown in Fig. l. Each end of the board 55 has a rearward extension 61 close to the adjacent selvage warps to overhang and depress any bristles on the member 30 which may extend beyond the selvages before these bristles can engage and become entangled with a weft extending away from the selvage, as to the boxed shuttle.

In describing the operation it may be assumed that the shuttle S has been picked from shuttle box 25 and has traveled along its fixed path to shuttle box 26 so that the weft thread W will extend from the right hand end of the fell to the left and rearwardly, as suggested in Fig. 7. This Hight of the shuttle occurs while the blank part 49 of the member 30 faces the warp shed and the weft can extend over this blank part without being engaged by bristles. As soon as the shuttle is in box 26, and indeed if desired before the shuttle has entirely completed its flight, the right hand part of bristle set 46 will engage the part of the weft attached to the right hand selvage, see Fig. 8. As the member 30 continues to turn the bristles of set 46 move the weft to the fell progressively in a left hand direction, see Fig. 9, and as each bristle reaches the fell it also engages the edge 60 of the fell board 55 and is deflected rearwardly and then passes under the board without scraping along the underside of the cloth.

When the new warp shed has been formed the member 30 will have turned so that blank area 48 thereof will be facing the shed and the shuttle will be picked to the right, see Fig. l0, and the weft W will lie over the area 48 and not be engaged by the bristles of set 47, or at least not until near the end of its flight. The left hand end of set 47 will then engage the weft at its left end and progressively beat it up to the right to the fell similar to the previous beat-up.

From Fig. l it is apparent that the part of the weft near the boxed shuttle will be behind the beat-up means and therefore out of the normal range of operation of the beat-up. This condition is due to the fact that the beat-up bristles extending across the shed are always in front of the fixed path of the shuttle. That part of the weft near the selvage to which it is attached is, however, in front of the bristles and as the member 30 turns the bristles progressively draw the rear part of the weft into the range of action of bristles nearer the boxed shuttle, and eventually the entire length of the weft in the shed will be advanced to the fell. During the beat-up several bristles will act successively on the same part of the weft to beat it up as for instance those between the same pair of warp threads. Any slight variation in the stiffness of the bristles will therefore be averaged out.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the invention sets forth a simple means of beat-up for weft in a loom comprising flexible bristle elements 45 which after performing the beating-up operation bend rearwardly to clear the fabric as the cylindrical member 30 continues to rotate. It will also be seen that the cylindrical or brush member has areas 46 and 47 containing bristles alternating with plain areas 48 and 49 from which the bristles are absent and that the driving means for the brush turns it in such manner that the plain part of the brush faces the warp shed during introduction of weft into the shed, after which the bristles enter into the warp shed and eect beat-up. Furthermore, the bristles are arranged in sets which extend helically partially around the brush member in opposite directions so that one set can beat up the weft laid by the shuttle after it has traveled in one direction and the other set effects beat-up after the shuttle has traveled in the reverse direction. The helical disposition of the set permits the beat-up to start at that selvage to which the weft is attached. Also, means are provided to prevent entanglement of a weft extending away from the selvage, as to a boxed shuttle, by any bristles which may be located beyond the selvage should the rotating brush be of a length greater than the Width of the fabric. Also, the invention sets forth a fell board which positively causes rearward deflection of the bristles after they have beaten the weft to the fell and thereby maintains the Ylatter straight. The axis of the rotating brush member is preferably stationary and located somewhat rearwardly of the fell of the cloth so that the bristles when completing their beating-up operations are moving in a direction which is partly downward which assists their deflection with a minimum amount of deformation. Also, several bristles will strike the same part of the fell so that in the main a uniform beat-up will result even though some variation exists in the stiffness of the individual bristles. It should be borne in mind that with certain means for introducing weft into the shed it may not be necessary to have the bristles arranged as shown in Fig. 6, but that they can be distributed rtrely around the periphery of the cylindrical member Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:

1. In a loom having provision for forming a warp shed in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth and having means to lay weft in the shed, a weft beat-up brush extending across the loom adjacent to the fell and having exible bristles extending into the warp shed, and means moving the brush in a direction to cause the bristles to advance the weft thread to the fell of the cloth.

2. In a loom having provision for forming a warp shed in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth and having means to lay weft in the shed, a rotary weft beat-up brush extending across the loom adjacent to the fell and having flexible weft beat-up bristles thereon, and means rotating the brush in a direction to cause the bristles to enter the shed and advance the weft to the fell of the cloth.

3. The loom set forth in claim 2 wherein means extending along and parallel to the fell of the cloth pre vents engagement of the bristles with the cloth after the bristles have beaten the weft to the fell as the brush continues to rotate.

4. The loom set forth in claim 2 wherein means extending along and parallel to the fell of the cloth prevents engagement of the bristles with the cloth after the bristles have engaged the fell of the cloth as the brush continues to rotate.

5. The loom set forth in claim 2 wherein means extending beyond the selvage prevent any bristles beyond the selvage from engaging any part of the weft extending away from the selvage.

6. In a loom set forth in claim 2 wherein means adjacent to and aligned with the fell engages and deflects the bristles downwardly and rearwardly with respect to the fell after they have beaten the weft to the fell to assist in maintaining the fell in a straight line.

7. A loom set forth in claim 2 wherein a fell board formed with a straight edge extends across the loom with said straight edge aligned with and adjacent to the fell, said edge of the board engaging the bristles to deflect them rearwardly after said bristles have beaten the weft to the fell.

8. In a loom having provision for forming a warp shed in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth and operating with means which lays weft thread in the shed, a cylindrical member extending across the loom rotating during operation of the loom about an axis substantially parallel to the fell of the cloth and having flexible bristles thereon extending away from said axis effective due to rotation of the member to enter the shed between the warp threads and beat the weft to the fell of the cloth and thereafter bend rearwardly to pass forwardly from the fell.

9. In a loom having provision for forming a warp shed in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth, weft laying means which during part of a one-pick cycle of the loom passes into the warp shed to lay therein weft and is out of the shed for the remainder of the cycle, a cylindrical member extending across the loom rotatable about an axis parallel to the fell, said member having on a part only of the circumferential periphery thereof llexible beat-up bristles, the remainder of the circumferential periphery of the member being free from bristles, and means to rotate said member so that the part thereof free from bristles faces the warp shed during said part of said cycle and thereafter turn the member so that the part thereof provided with bristles faces the shed during said remainder of the cycle to cause said bristles to enter the shed and beat the weft to the fell.

10. In a loom having provision for forming a warp shed in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth, a shuttle which passes through the shed during part of a one-pick cycle of the loom to lay weft in the shed, a cylindrical member rotatable about an axis substantially parallel to the fell, a set of bristles extending lengthwise of and projecting radially from the cylindrical member, the latter having angularly spaced therearound from the set of bristles a plain part not provided with bristles, and means turning the cylindrical member to present the plain part thereof toward the shed while the shuttle is in ight and thereafter causing the bristles to enter the shed and move forwardly to beat the weft laid by the shuttle to the fell of the cloth.

11. The loom set forth in claim lO wherein the set of bristles extends helically along the cylindrical member, and said means causes the bristles adjacent to the side of the shed which is entered by the shuttle to be the first part of said set to enter the shed and engage the weft and thereafter causes the other bristles of said set to enter the shed progressively in a direction away from said part of the set to engage the weft and beat it up to the fell progressively across the loom.

l2. In a loom having provision for forming warp sheds in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth and having a shuttle which in two successive beats of the loom has a flight in one direction through a warp shed to lay weft therein in the first of said beats of the loom and has a second flight in the opposite direction through another warp shed to lay a second weft therein in the second of said beats of the loom, a rotary beat-up means having resilient bristles extending therefrom and arranged in two circumferentially spaced sets separated by two plain areas free from bristles, said sets being arranged on the beat-up means helically but in opposite directions, and means rotating the beat-up means once for said two successive beats in such manner that one of said sets acts after the first flight of the shuttle to beat the weft up progressively across the cloth in said one direction and said other set acts after the second flight of the shuttle to beat up the weft progressively in said opposite direction across the cloth.

13. In a loom having provision for forming a warp shed in warp threads extending rearwardly from the fell of the cloth and having means to lay weft in the shed, beat-up means rotatable about an axis extending across the loom and having thereon a plurality of resilient bristles extending outwardly therefrom and arranged in a set extending longitudinally and also circumferentially thereof, and means rotating the beat-up means about said axis in a direction to cause the bristles due to their circumferential disposition on the beat-up means to exert a plurality of successive beat-up forces on the weft to move the latter to the fell of the cloth.

14. The loom set forth in claim 13 wherein the bristles are arranged in a set such that rotation of the brush causes several bristles in the set to engage successively the same part of the fell.

l5. The loom set forth in claim 2 wherein the weft extends from a point at one side of the cloth in front of the brush to a point behind the brush and beyond the opposite side of the cloth, and the bristles are arranged to engage the weft at said one side of the cloth and thereafter due to rotation of the brush progressively moves that part of the weft at the opposite side of the cloth forwardly so that the entire length of weft in the warp shed is caused to move forwardly by the bristles.

References Cited in the ile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 696,263 Panitschek et al Mar. 25, 1902 982,862 Peterson Jan. 3l, 191'1 1,485,059 Stearns Feb. 26, 1924 2,251,337 Libby Aug. 5, 1941 

